420. "I don't remember!"

"There is a music concert at Jayalakshmi Sabha tomorrow. I have got two tickets. Are you coming?" asked Sethupathy, over phone.

"Sorry. I can't. I will be attending a religious discourse tomorrow" said Padmanabhan.

"I didn't know that you were interested in religion and spirituality" said Sethupathy, surprised.

"We need to listen to good things at least to some extent."

"Ok. See you later."

After a few days, Sethupathy came to Padmanabhan's house. The two friends were conversing about various things.

Sethupathy recalled his conversation with Padmanabhan a few days back and asked him, "Last week, you attended a religious discourse. How was it?"

"It was good" said Padmanabhan.

"Who was the speaker?"

Padmanabhan thought for a moment and said, "I am unable to recall his name."

"When I invited you to a music concert, you declined my invitation and went to that discourse. Now you say you can't even recall the speaker's name!" said Padmanabhan, laughing.

"Santakumar" said Padmanabhan's wife Dharini, speaking from the kitchen.

"Oh! He is a popular speaker. How did you forget his name?" asked Sethupathy.

"Well. I have not attended any religious discourse earlier. Maybe, that is why his name was not registered in my mind"

"What was the subject he spoke on?"

"Something relating to Ramayana, I think!"

"Santakumar speaks only about the Gita!"

"Whether it was Gita or Sita, it was about spirituality. that's all" said Padmanabhan, in exasperation.

After Sethupathy had left, Dharinin asked him, "You have listened to the discourse for two hours. But you remember neither the name of the speaker, nor the topic he spoke on. What is wrong with you?"

"I have heard that the sweet pongal they had been offering at the end of the discourse as prasad, is very delicious. That is why, when you suggested that I attend that discourse, I came along with you. I didn't pay attention to his talk. My mind was on the sweet pongal I would be getting at the end of the discourse, as prasad. I was playing with my mobile phone for some time. Then I became drowsy. I had a nap sitting in the chair. I woke up only at the end of the speech. I felt fresh. I enjoyed the taste of the sweet pongal they distributed, after the speech got over!" said Padmanabhan. 

"You could have as well gone to the music concert with your friend. After all, you have some interest in music. There is a canteen at the concert hall too!"

"I could have. I would prefer to go to the canteen first, relish my favourite dishes and then enter the concert hall. But Sethupathy won't allow me to go to the canteen till the concert got over. That's why I didn't like to go to the concert with him!" said Padmanabhan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 42
Learning through Listening

Verse 420 (in Tamil):

seviyin suvai uNarA vAyuNarvin mAkkaL
aviyinum vAzhinum en?

Meaning:

People who are interested only in the taste relished by the tongue, but are unaware of the enjoyment the ears could get through listening (to words of wisdom) make no difference whether they are alive or dead.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ninaivillai' by the same author.)

Verse 421
Verse 419